Be forewarned: The writer of this blog is an extremely cynical, snarky, pro-US, secular, libertarian, disgruntled sandmonkey. If this is your cup of tea, please enjoy your stay here. If not, please sod off

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

The worst for last

Today is the final day in the egyptian parliamentary elections, and it seems like the government decided to leave the best for last in terms of violence: They are opening fire on the egyptian voters. Actual Bullets. So far 2 have died and at least 50 have been injured, and the day isn't even close to over yet.
Wait, the number has just been brought up to 130 wounded. Holy shit!
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds trying to break through blockades of polling stations in an opposition stronghold Wednesday, the final day of parliamentary elections, and a hospital official said two people were killed. Police in the capital of Cairo said more than 130 people had been wounded in election violence in four provinces, and more than 80 people were arrested.
The two deaths occurred in the northern town of Damietta, said Dr. Mohammed Balboula of Damietta Public Hospital. There was no immediate confirmation from the Interior Ministry.
Ok, so you want details of the violence? There ya go.
Government supporters armed with knives, bottles and machetes attacked voters lined up trying to get into several stations, sparking clashes with supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the government's main rival.[..]At another Zagazig station, a battle raged between Brotherhood members and government supporters wielding knives who attacked voters trying to push their way past a police blockade. Police fired tear gas from time to time but did not arrest the government supporters. One would-be voter was bleeding from the head. [...]In the Delta town of Dumyatt, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at voters during clashes outside at least one polling station, Brotherhood officials said. In the north Sinai town of el-Arish, clashes broke out between police blocking polling stations and frustrated voters, an Associated Press reporter said. An Interior Ministry official said at least 30 people had been hurt in clashes in el-Arish and three Nile Delta provinces.
In the southern city of Sohag, police blocked about 400 voters from entering Mohammed Farid School, which was being used as a polling station.
According to the filbalad website, the police was afraid that people would use stairs again to get access to the polling stations that in Al Sharqeyah it had officers present on the rooftops of every surrounding building and the people were kept away from the polls by a 100 meter radius. In Kafr el Sheikh the police confiscated the stairs that people had to prevent them from using them to access the polls and vote. The whole thing is nuts.
Needless to say what the Police is doing is retarded and will only inflame people further and make the Muslim Brotherhood more popular. If they had pulled this kind ofcrap from the beginning then people would have convicned themselves that all of that democracy crap to be a farce and wouldn't have botherd.The winnings of the MB in the first 2 rounds convinced them that it wasn't crap. That we have some sort of democracy going and if enough people went to the polls you could really change things. The genie was out of the bottle. The people tasted freedom and democracy and they liked it. And now they are literaly fighting for it. And the government is shooting at them for it.
I don't know, but I think the resntment that has been building up for the last 24 years against the government is starting to reach critical mass. I think the people are really fed up and they will not shut up and take it anymore. And knowing how stupid this government is, they will continue betting that shooting , arresting and torturing people will scare the people into submission once again, and that's one bet they are going to lose.
Too bad that it's us who always end up paying the price though...

I don't understand what's going on with the dropping stupidity levels of the government. From its making of Ayman Nour, to its haphazard and apparently thoughtless opening of the Ghaza border, to its responsibility for the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood by stiffling any form of liberal opinions (although I make no excuses for the current opposition parties and their leaders, I think we're much better off voting for the goverment)...to it's popularizing of the MB as you described by its actions today.

If I am not mistaken, we used to have a much smarter government than this not very long ago...what is it, an unannounced changing of our country's political decision makers? Clinical drop of intelligence levels of these same people?...I don't know. I am confused.

While this is no way to run a democracy I definitely do not want to see further gains by the absurd and fanatical Muslim Brotherhood. I am horrified what is to happen to Copts, women, freedom of anything if the MB come to power. Last I heard from these extremists is that ther is no chance of a Coptic Christian ruling in Egypt...not really a surprise. How could the MB let a kafr or infidel govern over a Muslim...it would be blasphemy and completely counter to Shari'a. The MB also said that they want to eliminate tourism in Egypt. The reason...tourists bring "immorality" to Egypt!!! Can you believe that one? God help the people of Egypt if the MB eliminates the most important revenue source of the country's GDP. Saudi Arabia and Iran HERE WE COME.